The other evening the wife & I were watching the season finale of Burn Notice on our DVR. I thought it an apt metaphor for our current experience. The main character, Michael Weston, is a spy who is blacklisted and dumped in Miami. The show is about his quest to discover why he was blacklisted (false accusations), and how he helps people in need of his specialized skills on the way.
At times I feel blacklisted and dumped in central Florida. This is all perception, not actuality. I can’t seem to move forward and on. It’s as if we are stuck here trying to make ends meet while using my specialized skills to help churches in need. I can’t explain why we remain here- it is not through a lack of trying (I’ve lost track of the open positions for which I have applied). But in the midst of this, I have to keep returning to 1 Peter 4:
19 So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. (NIV)
I am here by God’s will. I am between calls by God’s will. I can’t change things, but I can be responsible. I continue to ‘do good’ or be obedient to Him and work for the good of the church. I also entrust my family into the hands of my Faithful Creator and Redeemer. I can’t sit and moan, withdrawing into a shell. I can trust and continue to do what I’ve been called to do as opportunities permit. And so I shall, even as I pray:
9 Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief. … 14 But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.” 15 My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me. 16 Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love. 17 Let me not be put to shame, O LORD, for I have cried out to you; …19 (Ps. 31 NIV)How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you.
20 We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. 21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. 22 May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you. (Ps. 33 NIV)
Cavman Considers 